Episode Summary
Discover how intense athletic activity during adolescence can reshape the developing hip and drive the formation of cam morphology, a key factor in femoroacetabular impingement. Learn why growth plates, training load, and timing during the second growth spurt may influence future hip pain and osteoarthritis risk.
Cam morphology in the hip is explained as a growth-related bone shape change strongly linked to athletic activity during adolescence. The lecture begins with the basics of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, showing how extra bone at the anterolateral femoral head-neck junction can cause impingement, pain, limited motion, cartilage damage, and a higher risk of hip osteoarthritis, while also stressing that many athletes with cam morphology never develop symptoms.
The main focus is how cam morphology forms. Key associated factors include male sex, possible minor genetic influence, growth plate orientation, and especially high-impact sports. Evidence from soccer cohorts shows that cam morphology can first appear around ages 12 to 13, increases during the adolescent growth period, and stops changing once the growth plate closes. Greater training frequency during growth is linked to higher prevalence and larger deformities.
The summary also covers how alpha angle is used to define cam morphology on imaging, and how MRI and finite element models suggest that mechanical loading, particularly during flexion and external rotation, may alter the growth plate and stimulate bone formation. Overall, learners can expect a clear explanation of when cam morphology develops, why sport matters, and the current theory behind its formation.
